Once upon a time, supercars stuck to a tried and tested template of a V12 engine and a rear-wheel-drive layout but that was before the power wars spilled out of control. The greatest moment in terms of the hypercar revolution came in form of the Ferrari LaFerrari, Porsche 918 and the McLaren P1 using some electrical assistance to further boost power. Now that trend has caught on and to beat emissions along with cough up even more power, a lot of the new supercar metal coming in is hybrid cars. Let us look at the fastest hybrid supercars.
Hybrid supercars: Koenigsegg Gemera
Trust Koenigsegg to turn up and crank out the most ridiculous power output on its four-door spaceship-the Gemera. It is a four-door supercar and has a complicated powertrain to match. While the original concept featured a 600bhp twin-turbo 2.0-litre three-cylinder engine, the production spec Gemera gets a much more potent 5.0 litre twin-turbo V8 and that is combined with an electrical motor weighing just 39 kg.
The total power output then becomes a colossal 2,369 bhp while there is no Flywheel at all with the latest Light Speed Tourbillon Transmission. It is perhaps the most brutal expression of what a hybrid can do in terms of combining electricity along with a combustion engined powertrain. It is also a new take on what a supercar can do in terms of practicality along with a crazy fast powertrain.
Lamborghini Revuelto
Lamborghini has always been the flag bearer for the naturally aspirated V12 and all its flagship supercars have had them. With its Revuelto, Lamborghini took that proven recipe and tweaked it to include a further three electric motors. The Revuelto is a hybrid hypercar and shows how technology can preserve the supercars that we know and love.
The basic working of this radical wedge-shaped supercar includes a 6.5-litre V12 being assisted by three electric motors with two of them being mounted on the front axle and the third one being integrated int the new eight-speed dual-clutch transmission which replaces the earlier gearbox. There is also a 3.8kWh lithium-ion battery pack while the Revuelto gets an electric only range even if it is just for a small distance.
Total power breaches the 1000bhp barrier and that was Bugatti territory some years back. The Revuelto is a plug-in hybrid and shows a sneak peek at how supercars would operate. We are just glad that the V12 is still sticking out being the life of the supercar party.
Hybrid supercars: Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale
What happens when Ferrari makes a road legal racer for the road? All hell breaks loose and the SF90 XX Stradale is possibly the most extreme iteration of what a hybrid supercar can achieve. It is bonkers fast but is put through the XX fitness regime and proudly belongs to the elite group of road racers with a Prancing Horse badge.
This is a V8-powered PHEV that now produces more horsepower at 1,015bhp. The engine is put through a diet and is now much nosier than ever while the exterior is dipped in aero ducts and what not. There is also a fixed rear spoiler – the first to appear on a road-going Ferrari since the days of the F50 – which brings 530 kg of downforce at 250 km/h. Like the SF90, the car uses three electric motors, two independent on the front axle, and one located between the engine and gearbox at the rear.
Alongside the engine, the car also gets a high-performance battery which gives you a range of 25km in full EV mode. Everything is changed from the ‘standard’ SF90 include the gearshift and there are four modes on the eManettino selector on the svelte Ferrari steering. Hence, it is without doubt the most focussed hybrid supercar out there right now.
Somnath Chatterjee grew up around cars and most of his childhood was spent obsessing over supercars. Years later he decided to start writing about them and hasn’t looked back since. While he has had his fair share of cars, the world of automobiles never ceases to amaze him. Travelling all over the world to drive them along with sharing that experience is what ultimately keeps him going. He hopes to drive a Ferrari 288 GTO someday because, well, do you really need a reason?
